KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has yet to see the worst of the current hot and dry spell, with conditions expected to persist until the middle of next year, says Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup.
The Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister said the outlook was driven by the expected super El Nino, longer dry periods and higher temperatures.
"From a meteorological perspective, we have not seen the worst.
"The worst is yet to come, and it is expected to prolong until the middle of next year," he told the Concorde Club at Wisma Bernama here on Monday (Oct 5).
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The session, chaired by Bernama chairman Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai, discussed the topic "Haze, Heat & Hope".
The Concorde Club is an informal gathering of senior editors and journalists from local and foreign media organisations to discuss current affairs and national issues with politicians and policymakers.
Arthur said the government had also begun assessing the economic impact of the prolonged hot weather, with several ministries providing input as part of a whole-of-government approach.
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He said among the areas being assessed are water supply, energy consumption and agriculture.
"We look at energy cost because people will be indoors using more air conditioning.
"And we also look at agricultural cost, which is a big one in terms of loss of yield and also more cost, more intervention are needed to keep the farms going," he said.
Arthur said no estimate of the overall economic cost was available yet.
However, he said the impact could be higher if Malaysia experiences the hotter and drier conditions currently forecast.
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"We are projected to have the hottest and driest period ahead.
"So based on that, we could probably predict that as a consequence, the incidental cost will probably be higher too," he said.
Arthur said the ministry would be able to provide a more complete assessment once more details were received from the relevant agencies and ministries.
